Police Senior Superintendent Mario Sandiego, provincial director, told The STAR in a telephone interview that the suspects were believed to be behind the series of bank robberies in Pangasinan.
Four of the five killed suspects were identified as Calugan Jimenez of Upper P. Burgos, Baguio City; Silvestre Tuplan, a native of Tablan, Mt. Province; Domingo Cuadla of Tadian Mt. Province; and Dante Paycan of Irisan, Baguio City.
Sandiego said a concerned citizen reported to the Mangaldan town police chief the presence of a maroon FX taxi without license plates roaming around the vicinity of the Rural Bank of Sta. Barbara — Mangaldan branch.
This prompted Chief Inspector Harris Fama, police chief of Mangaldan, to follow the vehicle. In Asingan town, the police flagged it down but it sped towards Barangay Cauplasan where an exchange of gunfire ensued.
Initial investigation showed that the suspects could be behind the robberies in the Rural Bank of Dasol, Sta. Barbara Rural Bank and Pozorrubio Rural Bank.— Eva Visperas and Cesar Ramirez